Players linked to match-fixing banned

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's soccer association has
handed down lifetime bans to 10 players charged over alleged
involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

The K-League made the announcement in a statement late Friday
after holding a meeting of its disciplinary committee. The league
said that the bans were its highest level of punishment.

Among those banned for life was Kim Dong-hyun of military club
Sangju Sangmu, who has made six appearances for the South Korean
national team. Kim is the highest-profile player implicated so far
in the scandal.

The players allegedly accepted money from illegal gamblers to
help their teams to lose games.

Kim was arrested earlier this month for allegedly introducing
other players to "fixers" who then bet large sums of money on
illegal online gambling sites. They face jail sentences of up to
seven years if found guilty.

A former K-League player, who allegedly worked as a broker, was
found dead in an apparent suicide earlier this month.

Eight of the banned players came from the same team, Daejeon
Citizen.

An 11th player, Kim Jung-kyum of the Pohang Steelers, was given
a ban of five years.

Kwak Young-cheol, head of the disciplinary committee, said that
the punishment symbolizes the seriousness of the alleged
wrongdoing.

"This decision shows our determination to be stern in dealing
with corrupt and illegal activities in sports, which regards fair
play and fairness as the highest values," Kwak said in the
statement.

Kwak said the players' bans would be reviewed if they were
cleared of wrongdoing in criminal proceedings.